My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
No Knead Turkish Bread (Ramazan Pidesi)
This homemade Turkish bread, also known as Ramazan Pidesi, is soft, fluffy and beautifully golden. It’s a traditional bread enjoyed across Turkey throughout the month of Ramadan. My version is an easy, no-knead recipe that gives you that authentic bakery-style flavour and texture with minimal effort. So if you’re not a proficient bread baker (like me!), this recipe is for you!
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No Knead Bread for Hesitant Bakers!
Friends – trust me, I am not a proficient bread baker. I do get the itch to bake bread every now and then, because the feeling of homemade bread can’t be topped. And when I do, this is the type of recipe I can rely on.
It doesn’t need kneading. It comes together just using a wooden spoon. Yes, you do need to wait for it to proof (because good bread flavour needs a bit of patience), but it’s one of those recipes you can work on while cooking dinner.
I make this bread whenever I am making iskender kebab, because it’s absolutely perfect for it, or when I am serving a homemade Turkish recipe like Ali Nazik. It’s also quite magical dipped into this turkish lentil soup!
The Easy Bread Making Process
First, gather the ingredients. I use all-purpose flour because that’s the one I often have on hand, so this recipe has only been tested using it. You can likely swap in 50% bread flour for extra chewiness if desired, without any issues.
Don’t skip the sesame seeds and nigella seeds! The texture and flavour they add is quite important in this bread.
Start by combining the instant yeast, warm water and sugar in a large bowl. There’s no need to proof the yeast since we are using instant, we can go straight to adding in the flour and salt. If you are using active dry yeast, you have to activate it in the water for several minutes and also, the dough will need longer to rise and proof.
Using a wooden spoon, combine the flour into the water mixture until fully combined and there’s no traces of flour left. This is a no-knead dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, which usually takes 1 hour.
The dough will be quite sticky at this point. Place two large pieces of parchment on your working surface and dust heavily with flour. With floured hands divide the dough into two equal pieces and place on each parchment paper.
Using your floured hands, gently spread out the dough until they are 24 cm in diameter. The dough is quite soft so will stretch out easily. Cover lightly with a tea towel and proof for 40 minutes.
Combine the egg yolk with the water and flour for the topping. Gently brush each dough with the egg yolk mixture. The egg yolk will give us a beautiful deep golden hue and shiny finish.
Using your fingers, make indents all around the dough, 2-3 cm from the edge, forming an inner circle. Continue using your fingers to gently make a criss-cross pattern with lines, about 2-3 cm apart. Be gentle so the dough does not tear and avoid popping any air bubbles, these help keep the bread light and fluffy. Sprinkle each bread generously with the sesame and nigella seeds.
Preheat the oven to 430F and place two 12 by 17 inch baking trays on the two middle racks. The trays will heat up with the oven, allowing the breads to cook faster and create a beautiful crust. You can also use a pizza stone if you have one.
Transfer the breads using a pizza peel (or the back of a sheet pan) to the baking trays in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, switching them halfway, until beautifully golden brown. Keep an eye on them as oven temperatures vary, they may be done earlier!
What to Enjoy with Ramazan Pidesi
Bread is made to be dipped into things, like soups. I love to also serve this bread at brunch with dips like labneh, muhammara, or baba ghanoush.
One of the best uses is to cut the bread into cubes and crisp it up to use in dishes like iskender kebab, or to toss into a salad.
Finally – if you’re like me and you enjoy a cup of tea in the evenings, the best thing you can do is take a slice of this bread and crisp it up in the oven or air fryer, then have it with your team. A slice of cheese often makes its way into this snack of mine. It’s quite magical!
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No Knead Turkish Bread (Ramazan Pidesi)
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 300 milliliters warm water
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 360 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Topping
- 1 egg, yolk only
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
Instructions
- Start by mixing together the warm water, instant yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the flour and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix well until there is no more visible flour and the dough looks cohesive, about 2 minutes. The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 hour or until double in size.
- On your working countertop, place two large pieces of parchment papers and dust heavily with flour. Dump the dough on to the parchment paper and divide into 2 equal parts, placing each dough ball on a separate piece of parchment. With your hands dusted with flour, gently press down on each dough to a form a 24 cm circle. Cover lightly with a tea towel and let it rest for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, centre your oven racks and place two 12 by 17 inches baking trays, one on each rack, in the oven. Preheat the oven to 428℉ with the baking trays inside.
- Prepare the topping by whisking together the egg yolk, water and flour in a small bowl. Brush the rested dough rounds with the egg yolk mixture. Using your fingertips, make a circular indentation 2-3 cm from the edge of the dough creating an inner circle. Then fill in the centre of the inner circle with your fingers making criss-crossed diagonal lines, about 2-3 cm apart, making sure not to tear the dough or pop the air bubbles that may have formed. Sprinkle each dough evenly with the sesame and nigella seeds.
- Carefully transfer the dough by sliding the parchment onto the back of another large sheet pan or on to a pizza peel. Slide the dough on top of the preheated baking trays, one on each tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, switching the trays halfway until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the breads to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, slice into pieces and enjoy.
Notes
- Keep an eye on the breads as they are baking. Each oven varies and your breads may need more or less time in the oven.
This bread was surprisingly very easy to make despite how it looks! We enjoyed the bread with salted butter and pretty much ate it all in one sitting 🙂 I wasn’t sure how to store the bread, so I will have to do some research for next time.
Very easy to make and absolutely delicious! We enjoyed this bread with salted butter. I was unsure of how to store the bread but that’s okay.
Estoy muy feliz de haberte encontrado 😍Soy Puertorriqueña pero amo la comida y los panes mediterráneos y este lo voy hacer
Hi Ivonne! I had to use google translate but I am so happy to have you here as part of our community! Hope you love the recipes! 🙂